Display-rack.



F. E. BEWYER.

DISPLAY RAGK.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.19, 1906.

936,276, Patented 0@1;.5,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 ANIIRiVL a GRANAM 0o vnoro-umocmmms. WASHINGTON. u c.

P. E. BEWYER.

I DISPLAY RACK. APPLICATION FILED on. 19, 1906.

Patented Oct. 5

' ASHEETS-S r. E. BEWYER.

DISPLAY RACK. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 19, 1906.

.Pat ented 0ct.5,1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

P. E. BEWYER.

DISPLAY RACK.

APPLICATION FILED 00119, 1906.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909. 4 sums-sum 4.

FRANK E. BEWYER, OF NEWTON, IOWA.

DISPLAY-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 19, 1906.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

Serial No. 339,669.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. BEWYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newton, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Display-Rack, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a display rack of simple, durable and inexpensive construction and of ornamental appearance capable of being supported on a fioor and also capable of being suspended from an elevated support and provided with simple and easily operated means, whereby the supporting standard may be adjusted as to length when the rack is in either of its positions.

A further object is to provide an improved clamping device for connecting display rack arms to the central standard in such manner as to permit a universal movement of said arms relative to the standard and to securely clamp them in any position of their adjustment.

A further object is to provide improved means for connecting branch arms with the arms of the display rack in such manner that they may be moved universally and clamped in any position of their adjustment.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the,various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows an elevation of a complete display rack embodying my invention and resting upon a floor. Fig. 2 shows a similar view of the device, depending from an elevated support. Fig. 3 shows a detail view, partly in section, illustrating the clamping device for connecting the display rack arms to the central standard. Fig. a shows a transverse sectional view through the standard, looking down upon one of the clamping devices for connecting the display arms to the central standard. Fig. 5 shows a transverse sectional view through the supporting base. Fig. 6 shows a detail view illustrating the clamp for connecting the auxiliary arms with one of the display arms. Fig. 7 shows a detail view, partly in vertical section, illustrating the clamping device by which the adjustable standard is clamped to the stationary standard. Fig. 8 shows a side elevation of the same clamping device, to illustrate the keeper for holding the clamping lever, the dotted lines show the position of said keeper when holding said lever, and Fig. 9 shows a transverse sectional View on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the supporting base is composed of four legs 10, each of which has, formed integral with 1t, a segment 11 of a tube. These four segments are connected with each other by means of screws 12 passed through lugs 13 on thesegments at two diametrically opposite points and at the other two diametrically opposite points the segments are connected by a hinge 15 at one side and on the other side are two lugs through which a thumb screw 17 is passed. In this way the base is formed of two parts hinged together, which may be opened and closed conveniently around the supporting standard and which may be clamped to the supporting standard by the set screw 17 The supporting standard comprises a short tube section 18 having its upper end passed through a boxing 20. A rod 19 is telescopically connected with its lower end. Said rod 19 has a hook 19 at its lower end and the rod is adjustably secured in the standard 18 by means of the set screw 19 The boxing 20 is designed to contain the gripping mechanism, hereinafter described,

and is formed of two parts detachably con-.

nected by the screws 21. Formed on one of the inner walls of the boxing is a lug 22 formed with a notch 23 and on the side diametrically opposite therefrom is a slot 24:. Below the slot 24 is a lug 25 formed with a notch 26 similar to the notch 23 and opposite from the notch 26 is a slot 27.

There are two gripping plates provided, the

upper one indicated by the numeral 28. This plate is substantially rectangular in form, slightly smaller than the interior of the boxing 20. One edge loosely rests in the notch 23 and the central portion is provided with an oval opening 29, one margin adja cent to said opening being sharpened or pointed at 30. An arm 31 is attached to the end of the gripping plate opposite the lug 22, which arm projects through the slot 24: and a chain 32 is attached thereto. The lower gripping plate is indicated by the numeral 33 and is similar to the plate 28. It rests in the notch 26 and is provided with an arm 34: to project through the slot 27. One or more extensible coil springs are placed on the interior of the boxing 20 to press upwardly on the plate and one or more similar springs 36 are arranged to press downwardly upon the plate 28. p

I have provided means for locking the arms 31 and 34 in position with the plates substantially horizontal as follows: On the side of the boxing 20 adjacent to each of the slots 24 and 27 is a pivoted keeper 36 having a notch 37 therein designed to receive the arm and thereby hold the gripping plate in the desired position. The standard 18 projects through this boxing 20 and through the openings in the gripping plates. The shape of said openings is such that when the plates are substantially horizontal, the boxing may move up and down on the stand ard, but when the upper plate 28 is released from its keeper 36 and free to incline, then it will automatically adjust itself to the standard in such a way as tov prevent downward movements only of the boxing on the standard, although the boxing may be moved upwardly without being interfered with by the gripping plate. If the lower plate is free to move to an inclined position,

' then it will lock the boxing against upward movement on the standard, but will freely permit downward movement. The advantage of this arrangement is that when the display rack is supported on a floor, the lower gripping plate may be held in its horizontal position and the upper one permitted to move to an inclined position so that the boxing may freely move upwardly on the standard and the operator may conveniently adjust its position, but it will not move downwardly unless the arm 34 is first pressed downwardly to a horizontal position. Then when the position of the display rack is inverted and the lower end of the standard is suspended from an elevated support and the other gripping device is utilized in the same way.

Screwed to the top of the boxing 20 is a tube 38 having at its upper end an ornament-a1 cap 39. This tube supports the dis play rack arms and moves up and down on the supporting standard 18 with the boxing 20.

The clamp for supporting the display rack arms is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4 and comprises a block 40 having one side rounded to fit the tube 38 and the other side provided with a notch 41. Two arms 42 are placed astride the block 40 and are provided with hooks 43 on their ends. A thumb screw 44 is seated in the central portion between the two arms and enters the notch 41 in the block 40. Mounted on the side of the tube 38 opposite from the block 4O is a second block 45 having its inner face shaped to fit the .tube 38 and having a horizontal notch formed in its outer face.

The display arms comprise a rounded central cross piece 46 seated in the notch in the block 45 and engaged by the hooks 43. Fixed to the ends of the cross piece 46 are the parallel bars 47 and in the ends of these bars, the display arms 48 are screwed. There are preferably four in number and inclined at angles divergent-from each other. By this arrangement of parts, the adjustment of the single thumb screw 44 serves to permit the clamp to be moved in a rotary direction around the tube 38 and also serves to permitthe cross piece 46 to be rotated in the hooks 43 and the block 45 or if the said thumb screw is tightly set, these parts are all firmly clamped in the position in which they were placed. In this way the display arms may be permitted to rotate in a horizontal plane along the upright tube or in a vertical plane, so that they may be placed in any desired position of adjustment. As shown in the accompanying drawings, there are two sets of these display arms and on the outer end of each is a ring 49 having a stem 50 telescopically connected with the arm 48 and arranged to be firmly clamped therein by means of a thumb screw 51.

I have provided a number of auxiliary display arms which may be attached to any one of the arms 48. This device comprises a central piece 52 in the shape of aT-coupling and branch rods 53 are screwed to the ends of said coupling. On the end of each of the rods 53 is a loop 54 to hold displayed articles. This device is clamped to, the arm 48 by means of a clamp 54 comprising two arms, provided with hooks 5.5 which overlap the ends of the part 52. The clamp proper surrounds the tube 48 and a thumb screw 56 is seated in the clamp to engage the side of the tube 48 opposite from the part 52. It is obvious that the part 52 may be locked in the hooks 55 to adjust them to different angles and the entire clamp 54 may be rotated I V 110 relative to the arm 48 and the thumb screw 56 enables the operator to clamp these parts in any position of their adjustment. If

desired an auxiliary set of display arms may be placed on each of the arms, 48.

In practical use and assuming that it is desired to use the display rack resting upon a floor, then the parts are adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 1. When in this position, the clutch plate 33 may be moved downupright 18. The display arms 48 may then be adjusted to any desired angle by first loosening the set screw a l and then tilting them either on their axis at the part 16 or else moving them bodily around the tube 88 and when the said set screw 14: is tightened they will be held in any position. The display rings 49 at each of the arms &8 may be adjusted to move longitudinally relative to the arm 48 and the ring member turned and then firmly held in place by the set screw 51. The auxiliary display arms may also be adjusted to any desired position by loosening the thumb screw 56 and it may be held in such position by tightening said thumb screw.

Assuming that it is desired to use the device in an inverted position suspended from an elevated support, as shown in Fig. 2, then the base is detached by loosening the screw 17 and permitting the parts of the base to swing outwardly and thus be detached from the support 18. Then the hook 19 is placed on an elevated support and the various display arms may then be adjusted as desired. lVhen in this position the chain 32 is attached to the arm 31 so that the gripping plate 28 may be conveniently moved to position that will permit the tube 38 to move downwardly on the standard 18. In order to permit this, the keeper that engages the arm 34 is first placed in position to hold said arm in a horizontal position and when said chain is released, the gripping plate 28 will automatically engage the standard 18. In this way the tube 28 may be freely elevated and automatically supported in any position of elevation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is-

1. In a display rack, the combination of a standard, a casing slidingly mounted on the standard and formed with slots in its sides, gripping plates within the casing pivoted on opposite sides of the casing and having arms projected through said slots, said plates formed with oblong openings to receive the standard and with sharp edges to engage the standard and springs for the gripping plates normally holding them in inclined positions and handles on the plates.

2. In a display rack, a support, a clamp composed of two parts to engage the opposite sides of the support, arms having hooks thereon surrounding the parts of the clamp, a set screw in said arms, a cross piece in said hooks to engage one of the clamp members and display arms connected with said cross piece.

Des Moines, Iowa, August 23, 1906.

FRANK E. BEVVYER.

Witnesses CLIFFORD V. Cox, Gnssm GRUBELING. 

